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September 2009

September 09, 2009

Like many museums that focus on dress and textiles, the FIDM Museum is constantly searching for compelling menswear for our collection. Most 19th and 20th century menswear is relatively straightforward; it tends to favor function over form, resulting in garments without intriguing structural or decorative elements. There are, of course, exceptions to this general statement, as you can see from the late 1960s ensemble featured in our post today.Smock-style shirt and suede Levi's Both c. 1967 Gift of Jay Hampel Shirt 2007.801.5 Levi's 2007.801.4

Beginning in the early 1960s, long-standing dress codes began to relax and even disappear. Women stopped wearing gloves and corsets on a regular basis, and men were seen in public without hats. Though sartorial expectations for both men and women became looser, men especially benefited from this change. Many men abandoned sober, dark-colored suits, plain dress shirts and constricting neckties in favor of clothing that was more personally expressive. All aspects of menswear were under assault: neckties were replaced by scarves and ascots, turtlenecks became an alternative to the button-down shirt, multi-colored shoes and sandals replaced black oxfords and hair grew longer. Color and pattern appeared in menswear, as did traditionally "feminine" fabrics such as velvet, satin and chiffon. As a whole, these changes in menswear were dubbed the "Peacock Revolution."

Men in urban areas such as Los Angeles, London and New York could purchase these new styles at boutiques such as Mr. Fish (London), and Paraphernalia (New York). Some of these boutiques catered exclusively to men, while others sold garments for both men and women. Gender specificity was no barrier however, for in 1968 WWD reported that men were purchasing women's wide-legged pants for their own use at the Yves St. Laurent boutique in St. Tropez.1For those in search of an even more "authentic" look, vintage and non-Western garments could be purchased at flea markets, military surplus stores or while on the 1960s version of the Grand Tour through the Middle East or Latin America. Caftans were a popular travel souvenir for both men and women and were often reinterpreted, as in this beribboned smock-style shirt from the FIDM Museum collection. Back view of 2007.801.4 and 2007.801.5

Intended to be inventive and playful, these changes in the visual character of masculinity were widely understood as a challenge to political and social conformity. Furthermore, dress was conceived as a sort of costume which allowed one to try out or take on a new identity at will. The rejection of the staid business suit freed men from societal expectations regarding personal identity and allowed for a truer expression of the self. This sartorial liberation was thought to be both personally and socially liberating. In the words of a caftan and gold medallion adorned New York dentist interviewed in GQ in the March 1971, "Groovy people should wear groovy clothes. That way we turn on the whole world."

September 04, 2009

Unlike his contemporary Charles Worth, Emile Pingat (1820-1901) has been largely forgotten. Pingat was active between 1850 and 1896 and at the time, his reputation was equal to that of Worth. Beginning in the 1870s and ending in the mid 1890s, publications such as the New York Times, Harper's Bazaar and Godey's Lady's Book consistently mention the two couturiers in the same sentence. A dinner conversation described in the July 21, 1883 issue of Harper's Bazaar encapsulates the tone of this coverage, "The great subject of dress was allowed, and the rival merits of Worth, Pingat and their noble army were discussed." Clearly, the two men are positioned not as fierce competitors, but as the two most powerful forces shaping fashion.

Though Pingat designed a variety of gowns, he was known primarily as a authoritative designer of outerwear. Opera coats, jackets and a variety of mantles were all designed by Pingat. The base fabric varied from sturdy wool to brightly colored silks, but Pingat's outerwear always featured extensive embellishment, such as beading, fringe and lace. In fact, descriptions of Pingat's outerwear by the fashion press give the impression that the chosen textile was used primarily as a foundation on which to showcase a sophisticated sense of surface design.

When you look at the images of the FIDM Museum Pingat mantle below, notice that the back is cut much shorter than the elongated front. This was a design feature intended to accommodate the bustle, a type of structured undergarment worn under a dress which created a pouf of fabric at the backside. The most exaggerated form of the bustle occurred about 1885. Combining this piece of information with the shape of the actual mantle helped us arrive at an accurate date.

Wish we could tell you more about Pingat, but he is even more of a mystery than the Boué Soeurs. Let us know if you have any additional information to add!

September 02, 2009

Often called the "dictator of fashion," Charles Worth (1825-1895) was the preeminent fashion tastemaker of the mid to late nineteenth century. Born in rural England, Worth emigrated to Paris in 1845 and worked in a series of dry-goods and dressmaking establishments. In 1856 or 1857, Worth, in partnership with Swedish businessman Otto Bobergh, opened a dressmaking establishment on the rue de la Paix. From this location, Worth dressed numerous European royalty along with wealthy American women. By 1870, when Bobergh retired, the House of Worth had nearly 1200 employees and was the most renowned dressmaking establishment in the western world.

Worth was the first fashion designer to elevate his position from that of mere dressmaker to artist. To reinforce this conception of himself, Worth often wore an artists smock and beret when meeting with clients. Like any artist, Worth "signed" his garments by including an inner label bearing his name. For inspiration, he often visited museums and referred to published versions of artwork. Worth also aligned himself with artistic achievement through his art collections, of which ceramics were a large component. Worth creations were worn both onstage and off by actresses such as Sarah Bernhardt, Eleanora Duse and Lily Langtry, further reinforcing Worth's artistic stature.

Worth created a sense of opulence by using large quantities of luxurious fabric. Though his earlier gowns tend to feature relatively plain silk fabrics, his later designs make excellent use of French produced luxury fabrics such as cut velvet. When using patterned fabric, Worth tended to favor large scale motifs such as feathers, grains, tulips and butterflies. Gowns were also distinguished by a generous amount of applied trim, such as embroidery, fringe and applique. Jet beading and lace were other favorite trims, as seen in the FIDM Museum Worth reception gown below.

In 1880, a Washington Post reporter visited the House of Worth. At this point, Worth's reputation was well-established and the overall atmosphere of the establishment demonstrated this. Workers spoke in a whisper and even clients were nearly silent. The reporter met the man himself and was able to observe him while he selected trim for a ball gown intended for Miss. Vanderbilt. As the reporter and her friends observed, Worth "called for the 'pattern book,' and turned over many samples before he found the exact trimming which he wanted. He tried the effect of this by placing it on the dress, and then resumed his work by pinning or unpinning--like a sculptor who was engaged in putting the finishing touches to his statue."1

We hope you enjoy getting to know our Worth "statue" through the images below!

If you're interested in the history of fashion, it is usually impossible to ignore the ways in which contemporary designers reference styles of past eras. As we mentioned in this post, designer John Galliano frequently mines fashion history for his inspiration, both in his own collections and in those he creates for Christian Dior. The Fall 2009 Galliano ready-to-wear collection is notable for its reference to the pannier, a type of undergarment that emphasizes the hips. A few weeks ago, we posted an entry on our robe de style, a 1920s dress which makes use of the pannier. After you've revisited that post, take a look at Galliano's Fall 2009 collection here and see if you can spot how Galliano referenced this wide-hipped silhouette.

Have you noticed any other historic styles popping up in current fashion? Let us know what you find!

September 01, 2009

First of all, we'd like to thank you for your fantastic response to our blog. We're very excited that our blog is off to such a great start and look forward to sharing more FIDM Museum objects with you. Thanks for your support!

Our posts so far have focused primarily on contextualizing a variety of museum objects for you. We are also planning posts intended to provide insight into some of the "behind the scenes" aspects of museum life. In particular, we are interested in any questions you might have about working in a museum. For example, you may wonder about the many steps it takes to produce and mount an exhibition. Or you might be curious as to where and how we store all of our varied objects. Maybe you have a question about our Study Collection. You probably have a number of questions that haven't even occurred to us!

We're hoping that you will be willing to share your questions with us via comments on this post or by sending us an email. Any questions you submit will be answered in upcoming posts. We truly look forward to hearing from you, so send some questions our way!